Why Putin Didn't Invade Ukraine When Trump Was In Office

Kent WA

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Putin was waiting for Trump to withdraw from NATO and just roll into Ukraine with less resistance. With Trump in office, Putin was already getting what he wanted. The election changed all that. Trump worked to diminish the influence of NATO, reportedly planning to withdraw from it in his second term. As a candidate, Trump had even remarked that, “Maybe NATO will dissolve, and that’s OK, that’s not the worst thing in the world.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/13/book-excerpt-i-alone-can-fix-it/ https://www.ibtimes.com/quotes-donald-trump-nato-what-republican-candidate-said-about-north-atlantic-treaty-2393661 Trump also broke with longstanding bipartisan support of Ukraine. Trump actually withheld military aid to Ukraine, sending personal emissaries to Kyiv to try to pressure and undermine Zelensky in the eyes of Ukrainians by asking him to “do us a favor, though.” https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mulvaney-admits-quid-pro-quo-military-aid-withheld/story?id=66353143 https://www.businessinsider.com/fiona-hill-trump-paved-way-russia-invade-ukraine-2022-2?op=1 The truth is that during his administration, Trump’s policy alignment with Putin advanced the aims of Russia’s political elites, who could imagine that the United States was on their side. Their comfort with Trump was evident from the start; Americans may remember that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was warmly received in the White House and photographed in the Oval Office, while Russian parliament members toasted Trump’s electoral victory in 2016. The Biden White House has taken positions opposite those of the Trump administration on NATO. Biden has insisted on principles of state sovereignty, reaffirming and rebuilding the United States’ trans-Atlantic relationships, including strengthening NATO. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/03/02/putin-invade-ukraine-trump-00012897